I'm doing a major kitchen and bathroom remodel project and decided the old federal pacific breaker box needs to be replaced. Since I'll be rewiring the bath and kitchen, I figured it makes sense to plan to eventually rewire the entire house.
I made a spreadsheet with all of the current and future loads I may add to the house then sectioned them off into different branch circuits with the type of breaker that will protect them. Would someone mind taking a look at my planned-out wiring and let me know if it looks correct or if I'm missing something obvious? I hope to get some feedback about best practices for planning house circuits and what methods are needed to protect them, using NEC 2014 for reference (I live in Portland, OR).
Some additional information relating specifically to my project:
- My house was built in 1956
- Most of the wiring is NC fabric-coated wire. Some of it is romex
- The old house panel is a 100A sub panel, fed by a 200A main panel in the detached garage
- I plan to replace the house panel with a 16 or 20 slot 100A panel (is one or the other better?)
- If there are any AFCI and GFCI combination requirements, the main breaker will be AFCI and any outlets on that branch will be GFCI outlets
- I plan on driving in two new grounding rods at the sub panel and bond them to the water main (house is getting re plumbed with pex) and gas pipes
- Does this sub panel need a grounding wire connected to the main panel in the garage?
Here is my spreadsheet:
based on feedback, here's an updated plan:
Updated!! v2
Best Answer
That Federal Pacific panel has to go as they are dangerous. As far as concerns about your skill, you sound like that particular kind of newbie who is well capable of learning to do it all safely and well; however my hunch is you are still thinking too much, and need to read a little more. It's OK, we all start there.
Normally, just replacing a sub panel is a straightforward thing. Change panel, reattach wires, done. However, this is only part of a project with a much larger scope. You must contemplate (i.e. ask your permitting authority) whether you have crossed the legal threshold of a remodel. If you have, everything in-scope must be done to all current codes. Even ADA!
The 2-circuit requirement for kitchen outlets is not intended to mean "1 circuit for this wall, 1 circuit for the other wall". I'd encourage some more research but if it was me, I'd interleave the outlets, every other outlet on a different circuit. Also there's nothing wrong with more than 2 outlet circuits in a kitchen, the whole point is to prevent trips when the chef is madly at work, so the chef isn't hobbled with limitations like having to put the toaster here and the George Foreman over there, and avert ugly workarounds like extension cords draped across sinks or stoves, etc.
I see you plan to go 12 AWG wire for almost everything (that's what 20A breakers mean) - that's awesome. Feel free to kick the refrigerator and smoke detector up to 12AWG also - that way you don't have to buy any 14AWG wire. I don't own any! If you have some other reason to use a 15A breaker you are welcome to use that on a circuit wired in 12AWG.
You may want to run the water heater circuit in 10/2 or even 8/2. That will allow you to easily upgrade to an electric water heater in the future. Still use a 15A or 20A breaker because the outlet is still only good for 20A. There is a trick to fitting 8+ AWG wire on a 15-20A outlet, just ask.
I would go with a much larger panel. You have either -1 or 3 circuits left, and that's too little headroom for my comfort. Getting a larger panel is dirt cheap compared to the cost of replacing perfectly good breakers with duplex breakers (I call them double-stuff) merely to shoehorn everything in. Also, larger panels in combo-packs come with more breakers and that is far-and-away the cheapest way to buy breakers. Another reason to avoid duplex breakers is if you ever need AFCI, GFCI or whatever future thing comes out - those are much more expensive in duplex breakers because of the miniaturization required. Don't think you must use a 100A panel - you can use a larger panel (200A), you just can't use a smaller one (70A).
Remember each sub-panel must have its neutral bus bar separate and isolated from its ground bar. That means removing bond straps, magic green screws, neutral bar kits, whatever the panel requires to do that. You might consider a panel with a neutral and ground bar on each side of the panel. That's a convenient feature so wires don't have to cross over the panel.
Keep in mind how your house got a dangerous Federal Pacific panel. The last guy bought cheap. Feel free to research the good-better-best that each manufacturer offers, the price differential for "best" is quite small compared to the overall cost of a remodel. You may find better selection and better prices at a real electrical supply house.
There is nothing wrong with more ground rods. Go nuts. The key is that all the grounds are connected to each other by wire - and they are not connected to neutral anywhere except one place - the main service panel.